


Fic -- When you Stop Running the World Slows Down

by rubygirl29



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-12
Updated: 2010-04-12
Packaged: 2017-10-17 07:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/174595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubygirl29/pseuds/rubygirl29
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How John decided to ask Ronon to stay in Atlantis and join the team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fic -- When you Stop Running the World Slows Down

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this. It isn’t an action/adventure because the one I started writing for the ficathon was turning into an epic that I couldn’t possibly finish by April 12. Frustration upon frustration followed, including Real Life events that kept interrupting. So, when this idea popped into my head and started working out, I had to jump on it!

_  
**Fic: When You Stop Running, The World Slows Down**   
_   


_Title: Fic -- When you Stop Running the World Slows Down  
Author: Rubygirl29  
Written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/satedan_grabass/profile)[**satedan_grabass**](http://community.livejournal.com/satedan_grabass/) The John/Ronon Thing-a-Thon.  
Prompt: John/Ronon, friendship, teamfic, working together to solve a problem.  
Genre: Genfic  
Rating: PG13 for a bit of language  
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were and sadly, never will be!  
Length: 2,947 words._

 _Spoilers: Not really. Takes place immediately following _Runner_ and just after _Duet_._

Author’s Note: I hope you like this. It isn’t an action/adventure because the one I started writing for the ficathon was turning into an epic that I couldn’t possibly finish by April 12. Frustration upon frustration followed, including Real Life events that kept interrupting. So, when this idea popped into my head and started working out, I had to jump on it!

The title is from my own idea of a Satedan proverb.

Summary: How John decided to ask Ronon to stay in Atlantis and join the team.  


 **  
_When You Stop Running, the World Slows Down_   
**

Sheppard liked to run at night. The city was silent, the stars overhead wrapped the skies in a shawl of light and gems, and he could hear Atlantis singing to him. He had once asked Beckett if he heard the music, too. Carson had given him a funny look, but had admitted that once in a while he thought he heard a hum almost like a lullaby.

Usually, he ran alone, but tonight, he saw a second restless soul running on the catwalk just below him. Unlike John, however, this man was running as if his life depended on it; fast, hard, and yet still nearly silent. His big frame was surprisingly graceful, all those muscles working in concert, as if he, too, heard a heartbeat in the city. But for all that, Sheppard knew Ronon Dex was running for a reason; maybe preparing himself for leaving Atlantis. Sheppard had other ideas.

He slowed his pace and walked to the nearest transporter. He wondered if Teyla was still awake. She was the one person who seemed to have some connection with Ronon on a level other than military. He didn’t know if it was because, like Ronon, she was a native of the galaxy, or if she was just more naturally intuitive. Anyone who could channel a Wraith Queen had to have some sort of psychic edge over the rest of them.

He paused outside her door and raised his hand. The chimes sounded like music. No. It _was_ music coming from inside Teyla’s room; a soft, mournful and yet hopeful song. John didn’t understand the words, but he knew the feeling. And he knew the voice. Teyla.

The door slid open, and Teyla stood there, looking surprised. “John? Is something wrong?”

“What, I can’t visit without there being a problem?”

“It is unusual.” She smiled and stood aside. “Would you like to come in?” Her room smelled like a meadow. Candles burned in holders and wavered in the soft Lantea breeze. “What is it? Or perhaps I should say, who is it?”

Intuition, John thought. “Ronon Dex.”

She arched a delicate brow. “I thought it must be.”

“Why? Did he say something?”

“No. Not in so many words. Come, sit down.”

“He doesn’t have that many words,” John said. He sank to a pillow on the floor. “He’s out there running as if his life depended on it.”

“For the last seven years, it has.” She sat with him. “He’s very young to have seen and felt so much pain. When I was talking to him on the planet, I felt a great sadness in him; a great loss.”

“He lost his entire world. I’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel for the guy.”

“And you do not have a heart of stone,” Teyla smiled slightly. “Is that your only concern?”

“No. I want him to stay. I him to join the team.”

She considered that information and nodded as if it was not a surprise to her. “Have you asked Elizabeth?”

“Not officially,” he said, guarded, because he knew that was the first thing he should have done. But Elizabeth wasn’t on his team. She didn’t function with them as a unit, and she wasn’t military.

“What about Rodney? He must have something to say.”

“He’s either scared to death of Ronon, or calling him ‘the caveman’ to his back, so he’s hardly the one to ask.”

“Have you considered what will happen if Ronon says yes?”

John shrugged. “I’ve thought a lot of what will happen if he says no.”

“He is no longer a Runner.”

“Even without the tracking device, you have to know the Wraith are going to keep hunting him. A man like that, he’s not going to stop killing Wraith. Sooner or later, they’ll either capture him again, or put a such a high bounty on his head that he’ll have humans hunting him, too. He’s not exactly inconspicuous.”

Teyla smiled. “True.”

“So, do I ask him to stay? Would you trust him to be on the team?”

“Trust takes time, John. But I would be willing to be patient. Do you trust him?”

He thought of seeing that young face, that scarred chest in his rifle scope. “If I didn’t, he’d be dead.”

“Then you have your answer.” She touched his arm. “Ask him.”

“I will.” He stood up and stretched out his shoulders. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for asking my opinion.” She smiled at him. “Goodnight, John.”

“Oh, by the way, I didn’t know you could sing.”

She laughed, blushed a bit. “It is part of my people’s culture, as it is part of yours.”

“It’s nice.” He waved his hand and the door closed silently. He could seek out Dex and ask him tonight, but he decided to sleep on it, just to be sure. He didn’t think Ronon would run anywhere before daybreak.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Ronon knew he was being watched as he ran. He knew there were marines armed with stunners on the catwalks, knew that if he strayed from the paths that they could shoot him down, just as the Wraith had; but oddly, he also trusted that they wouldn’t kill him. He knew because he had heard the one called Sheppard tell them to keep the weapons set to low. He couldn’t blame them. It was what he would have done if their positions were reversed.

As he ran, he heard Sheppard running above him; his paces as quick and lithe as the man was. He knew when he stopped running, too. He wondered why? Had somebody spoken to him through those tiny microphones the ‘Lanteans wore? Even the Athosian, Teyla, wore one. After seven years of virtually no human contact, Ronon thought he’d go crazy with the chatter. Even without the device, the city seemed to hum through him with a hundred different voices. He would recognize six of them: Sheppard, Teyla, the soft rolling brogue of Dr. Beckett, McKay’s ceaseless comments, the sharp wry tone of the other soldier, Major Lorne. He liked Lorne -- liked the way he wouldn’t suffer fools gladly, and that he, like Sheppard, treated Ronon as if he were a comrade in arms. And Dr. Weir. Cool, in command, sympathetic, though. Her eyes had betrayed her softness to him when she saw the ruins of Sateda on that MALP machine. Three days ago, he had nearly forgotten the sound of his own voice. Now he knew six.

The scar on the back of his neck itched as the stitches pulled. The doctor had said they would be absorbed in a few days after the incision healed. He would have more scars on his back, but this one, he didn't mind bearing. It would remind him of kindness not of cruelty. Part of him longed to stay here. Part of him urged him to keep running, because he could only bring disaster here as he had so many places. This was different, he argued. The Wraith could not track him here. Even if they could, the people weren't poor villagers with no defenses. Still ... still ... Ronon slowed to a walk, his chest heaving and sweat scrawling down his cheeks. He told himself that it was sweat.

He finally stopped at the end of the walkway. There was a space there, a landing with a view of the ocean the city floated on like a fallen star. He sank down cross-legged and rested his forehead against the cool metal railings. Where else could he go?

"Hey." Ronon looked up. Major Lorne was standing over him. "Mind if I sit for a bit?"

"Your city," Ronon said. He started to get up.

"C'mon, it's your city, too, unless you've written us off. Not that I'd blame you. One hour with McKay is enough to put anybody off their feed."

"What?"

"Makes you wonder why you put up with his shit." But Lorne was grinning and Ronon found himself smiling back, just a little.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Lorne sat down. "I wasn't supposed to be here. I was on the _Daedalus_ during the siege. But when Dr. Weir learned I had the same gene as Sheppard, she asked Colonel Caldwell if I could stay on with the expedition. He said yes, and so did I. So, here I am."

"You like it?"

"Sure. It's a great place to live. Ocean view, nice quarters. Good company. Wraith threatening to suck your life out. All the adventure a guy could want.” His grin widened.

"Uh-huh."

Ronon didn’t seem to get the joke. Lorne shook his head. "What do you think of Atlantis?" he asked.

"Nice. The beds are nice," Ronon blurted out. Then looked away. "Food's good."

Lorne laughed. "Man, do I know what you mean. I spent the last few years living rough in some pretty nasty places, so I guess after that, this is nice." He sighed, took a deep breath of the air and stood up. "I've got to grab some sleep. I'm on watch at 0300. Listen, for what it’s worth, no matter what happens, I think you've made some friends here."

Friends. Ronon wasn’t sure about that, but he liked the way it sounded.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Rodney McKay wasn’t big on sleep. There was always one more problem to solve, one more piece of Ancient tech to be examined, one equation that kept niggling at the corner of his mind. Therefore, Sheppard wasn’t surprised that the light was still burning in the lab, even as late as it was. He went inside.

McKay was in his robe, but tapping away at a computer. He looked up when John hooked a stool over to the desk with his foot and sat down. “You’re up late,” he said.

“Yeah, well ...” Sheppard didn’t know how to talk to Rodney about this, so he decided to tackle the issue head on. “I’m going to ask Ronon to stay in Atlantis.”

“Sure.” He went back to his computer.

“As part of our team.”

McKay’s fingers paused on the keyboard. “Wait! You want the guy who held you and Teyla hostage on the team? Isn’t that a little --” Rodney made the universal screwy sign with his forefinger to his temple. “Crazy?”

“Why not? He hates the Wraith, we hate the Wraith. He’s great in combat and ... he’s got nowhere else to go.” John picked up a pen and balanced it on the tip of his fingers as if weighing the issue.

“It sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”

“So, what do you think? Can you work with him?”

Rodney hesitated on the verge of one of his habitual snide comments on the less mentally gifted. Somehow, he didn’t think Sheppard would appreciate it at the moment. “As long as he doesn’t try to be me, fine.”

John grinned. “Great. Thanks, Rodney.”

“Wait! What does Elizabeth think?”

“Haven’t told her yet.” He stole a chocolate chip cookie from McKay’s plate. “See you in the ... well, see you later in the morning.”

McKay stopped him at the door. “He’s a loose cannon, I believe that’s the term.”

Sheppard paused, cookie halfway to his lips. It wasn’t something he hadn’t considered, but he was willing to take his chances on it. “I’d rather he’d be our loose cannon than anybody else’s -- Like the Genii. And I’m not throwing him back out there for the Wraith to find and murder.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Goodnight, Rodney. Don’t forget we’re going off-world tomorrow.”

“Great. Another half-civilized planet with absolutely no useful technology at all. Why am I even going?”

“Because there might be a ZPM or something else we can’t figure out down there. Cheer up, Lieutenant Cadman will be coming with us.”

“Why should that cheer me up?”

“I don’t know. She’s blonde, smart, and a great shot.”

“So was Annie Oakley. Besides, I have a date with Katie Brown. She’s a redhead _and_ and a PhD.”

“We’ll have you back in time for your hot date, Junior. Good cookies, by the way.” The door closed, cutting off Rodney’s protest.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 _Twenty-four Hours Later_

John was exhausted. McKay and Cadman were once again separated, Beckett was only slightly traumatized by being kissed by Cadman via Rodney’s body, and Elizabeth had finally agreed that John could add Ronon Dex, with restrictions, to his team. As much as he wanted to sleep, he wanted to find Ronon, first.

He carried Dex’s monster of a gun with him. The Satedan had surrendered it reluctantly, but he had surrendered it. John figured that Ronon was lethal enough to wreak havoc without the weapon if he had wanted. Overhead, the stars were the same as they had been the night before, but he had a feeling that his city, his life, would be different if Ronon accepted his offer.

He walked along the gangways. He was pretty sure where he would find Ronon. He was sitting where Lorne had told Sheppard he would be; alone. The marines had stopped following him as per Elizabeth’s orders, which were actually John’s orders, but technically ... anyway.

Sheppard sat silently next to Ronon. “Here.” He offered the gun and holster.

Ronon looked surprised. “You trust me with this now?”

“I can’t have my new team member running around the galaxy unarmed.”

Ronon took the gun, but he didn’t meet Sheppard’s eyes. “Thanks.”

“Well, it’s not carte blanche or anything.”

“What?”

“Sorry. There are a few considerations.”

“You mean rules?”

Sheppard shrugged. “Rules, conditions. You were military.”

“Big rules?”

“One, don’t shoot unless lives are in danger or I tell you to. Two, we don’t leave people behind. Ever. Three, you don’t volunteer information about Atlantis ... an even bigger ever.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t shoot McKay, no matter how much he annoys the hell out of you.”

“Can I stun him?” There was a smile in those remarkable eyes, just touching the corners of his mouth.

“Sure.” John grinned back at Ronon. “Just don’t leave him behind.” He reached into the ruck he had been carrying. “Your people drink beer? Ale?”

“A lot.” Still a hint of a smile.

“Well, I don’t have _a lot_ , but I have some.” He produced two bottles of Coors. “This came a long way, and I had to out-play a card shark sergeant to get it here.” He cracked the caps and handed one of the sweating bottles to Ronon. “Welcome home.”

“Home?”

“Unless you have someplace better to go?”

Ronon shook his head, thinking. “My people have a saying, ‘When you stop running, the world slows down.’”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No.” He took a deep pull of the beer. “S’good -- the beer.” He paused, thought some more. “I lost count of how many worlds I ran to. Sometimes, more than one in a day. I’d get the addresses from some people and use them until I ran out, then got some more. Didn’t sleep more than a few hours at a time, ate cold food most of the time because I had to eat fast and run again.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I can slow the world down,” he admitted.

That explained a lot, Sheppard decided. The night runs around the city, the way he ate as if every mouth of food was his last; even how he fought -- hard, fast, reflexive. John thought about what Teyla had said, about how young Ronon was. He had never thought of him as young, but now, in the soft evening light, listening to the rough whisper, he realized she was right.

“A while back, I was in a war,” Sheppard said. “I made a mistake -- a big one -- if you ask certain people. I didn’t think I had a choice. After that, the only place I was happy was when I was flying, because I felt if I stopped flying, the world would catch up to me. Then I came here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Hell, neither do I, but the world that caught up to me was better than what I had left behind.”

“So?”

“I’m just saying give it a chance. Give _us_ a chance. Give yourself a breather. Let the world slow down. You’re welcome here as long as you want to stay.”

“You really want me to stay?”

“I gave you your gun back.” Sheppard drained his bottle and reached for two more. “And ... I gave you Earth beer, so yeah, I want you to stay.”

Ronon thought about what this man had risked for him, what he had done for him, taking him in and taking a chance that he’d be okay. He owed them a debt, and he believed in paying his debts. “Okay.”

Sheppard handed him another beer. “So, tomorrow we’re going to train in the morning, then take a jumper out to ...” He squinted at the stars. “Maybe that one ...”

Ronon looked at the tiny world so very far away. “Really?”

“No. But somewhere.”

Somewhere sounded pretty good. Somewhere with Sheppard was better than nowhere by himself. He nodded and drank more beer. Maybe it was time to stop running. Maybe it was time to let the world slow down.

“Don’t leave without me,” Ronon said. Sheppard grinned back.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

They slowly drank their beers and sat in silence like old friends.

 **  
_The End_   
**


End file.
